In general, the present invention relates to an amphibious vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a vehicle which may be adjusted for land operation and marine operation.
Designed to operate both on land and in water, amphibious vehicles have been developed over the years. All previous attempts to mass produce such vehicles have failed because they centered around adapting, modifying, or augmenting vehicles originally designed for either land or water. For example, the attempts have included modifying an ordinary car, truck or military platform in an attempt to produce a seaworthy vehicle. The modified car or truck, while providing a vehicle which may be used both on land and in water, included several limitations which reduce the effectiveness of the vehicle during marine operation. The modified military vehicles were constructed using hardware which provided an amphibious vehicle more suitable to marine operation than land.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,903,831 discloses an amphibious vehicle which may function as a motor home on land and as a houseboat on water. The disclosed vehicle includes retractable wheels and a slidable hatch panel for covering the rear wheels. The vehicle is converted from land operation to marine operation by driving the vehicle into the water and manually shifting into a neutral gear, inserting a key and unlocking the wheels, engaging a switch to raise the wheels, and turning the key to lock the wheels in the raised position. An outboard prop powers the vehicle during marine operation.
The disclosed vehicle may be converted between land and marine operation. However, the process is both manually intensive and substantially time consuming. The operator must first drive into the water until the vehicle floats, and then interrupt forward progress to shift gears and raise and lock the suspension. The steps must be repeated in reverse to convert the vehicle from marine operation to vehicle operation.
The sliding hatch covers are included for streamlining the hull and covering the rear wheels. While designed to improve buoyancy of the vehicle, the covers are prone to debris contamination and impact misalignment, substantially reducing the effectiveness of the covers. Further, the design and weight of the drive and suspension system yield a vehicle which is expensive to manufacture, has high maintenance costs, and limited economy and maneuverability. Thus, the disclosed amphibious vehicle includes several features which substantially detract from the buoyancy of the vehicle, reducing efficiency and safety during marine operation.
Another amphibious vehicle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,584. The disclosed vehicle includes a retractable suspension and a sliding hull section for covering the retracted wheels. The disclosed vehicle is essentially a modification of a standard land vehicle, reducing the effectiveness of the performance of the vehicle during marine operation. The design of the hull renders the vehicle unreliable during travel in rough water or unexpected storm conditions. Further, utilizing a sliding hull for sealing the vehicle against water intrusion risks debris contamination and impact misalignment. Debris contamination and impact misalignment substantially reduce the efficiency of providing a positive seal, seriously compromising seaworthiness.
The disclosed vehicle provides an amphibious vehicle; however, the design and weight of the front suspension and drive system yields a vehicle that is too front heavy to take advantage of any planing hull design, seriously limiting top marine speed and maneuverability. The mechanism for suspension retraction is extremely complicated, increasing the cost of manufacture and maintenance. Further, the retraction does not include a positive locking mechanism or other fail-safe devices to prevent improper suspension retraction when operating the vehicle on land.
The vehicles disclosed in the prior art each provide an amphibious vehicle which may be converted between land operation and marine operation. However, an amphibious vehicle providing substantially efficient and safe operation on both land and water is desirable. A vehicle which may be conveniently and efficiently converted between land operation and marine operation is additionally desirable. A vehicle which is designed to withstand rough marine conditions is also desirable. A vehicle which may be automatically converted between land operation and marine operation is similarly desirable. Additionally, a vehicle which is operated using the same controls during land and marine operation is desirable.